Sunday, May 03, 2009

Local movie extends run through Thursday

Update 9:58 a.m. Monday: "The Last Lullaby" sold out 14 of its 15 weekend screenings.

Louisiana Boardwalk’s Regal Cinemas has extended the run of “The Last Lullaby” through Thursday. The locally made movie, directed by Shreveporter Jeffrey Goodman, had been scheduled to close a three-day premiere weekend today.

As of 2 p.m., the movie had sold out 13 of its 15 available screenings.

“It was really amazing,” Goodman said. “I’ve seen several people come back for a second time.”

8 comments:

JB Jones
said...

I was able to catch the movie on Saturday - and I'm really glad I did. What a great movie! I've never been a big fan of noir, but this movie was so much more. It was moody, emotional, and somewhat surreal. The soundtrack was a treat in and of itself.

I have high hopes for this movie - and for Mr. Goodman too. I'm really happy I was able to be a part of the premiere weekend. I can say I was there WHEN...

But from the theater's perspective, selling out 14 of 15 is a pretty good bet you'll get decent business for the next four days. If it were a theater owner, I'd give it a few more days to see if it could pull in some more traffic. All movies are popcorn salesman (name the movie reference) and TLL will probably move some merchandise this week.

Now, these next four days, and as we move forward into other cities, are about trying to generate as much interest in the film as we possibly can. The more people see it, the more the word gets around, and the better chance we have of continuing to travel with the film.

In other words, right now, it's about seeing if we can increase public awareness of the film. And do it in a way that's financially sustaining.

Why hasn't the film secured distribution yet? Its on par with most of the films out of Shreveport, and may well do better at the box than the bombs that were filmed here. Jeffery did a great job with a mediocre script!Its just sad the film industry is leaving after 3 years. I've been warning everyone we are losing the film industry, but noone cares enough to clean up city hall.

Jeffrey Goodman is self-releasing the film, so that's a form of distribution. He's touring to Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Davenport, Iowa; and San Jose in the coming weeks. The key is here is that self-distribution needs to remain profitable.

Will the film's numbers attract the interest of a formal distributor, for theatrical, DVD, cable, etc., and would that translate into profitability? Is securing a formal distribution deal what Jeffrey's shooting for? Time will tell, but you should ask Jeffrey about his plans and hopes directly. Right now, he sounds pretty committed to self-distribution.

Just remember, if there is little or no return to the investors, it will affect future availability of funds from these investors toward other inde projects in the area.That's why its so important that this movie be a financial success, regardless of how good it is, or how many awards it may receive. If investors lose on this project, it is unlikely that they will invest in other local productions in the future. So, using the proper distribution strategy is crucial to the long term success of local filmmakers. Investors like myself are looking for a proven track record. Keep those investors happy!